The polymeric structures are widely used as a solid support in the medical and biochemical fields.
For organs such as skin, mucosa, blood vessels, liver and spleen the functions of which cannot be replaced satisfactorily with artificial material alone, the trend to develop hybrid artificial organs of integrated cell type has been more popular in recent years.
In such case, an important issue resides in the selection and design of matrix materials on which cells are cultured. For example, it is well known that the adhesion, growth and proliferation of endothelial cells depend on the solid support offered to the cells.
Matrices are generally constituted of polymer materials and such polymer materials have conventionally been surface modified by a variety of processes.
Surface modification processes are schematically grouped in dry processes, representatively illustrated by plasma processes, arc processes, etc., and wet processes represented by coating, graft polymerization, etc.
The plasma processes include for example non reactive plasma processes based on the sputtering action of inactive ions such as argon, reactive plasma processes using active gas such as oxygen.
The surface matrix obtained by said plasma processes is homogeneously modified.
The coating is conducted by precoating an adhesive protein in solution from connective tissues such as collagen, fibronectin, etc. onto a matrix surface, thereby iiproving the adhesion of cells (endothelial cells, fibroblasts, etc.)
The documents J63196283 and J07108060 describe materials comprising a polymer (previously treated with U.V., electron beam or ion irradiation), coated with sugars, proteins or lipids. Said materials are used in culture of animal cells and for the diagnostic of cancer.
However, for the development of new biomaterials, it becomes important to produce heterogeneous surfaces with path such that preferential cell adhesion can occur. By such strategy it will be possible to guide the cell growth along preferential directions for specific applications such as nerve reconstruction.
In addition, for in vivo studies, it is better to obtain biomaterials whose chemical composition is closer to biological materials (biomaterials containing only carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen).